English Translation

55 II. The beginnings of the revolution. But the time came when, despite all the difficulties and obstacles, it should be proved that much higher, more beautiful services than the new homeland, than itself, the American Czechoslovaks proved to their people in the difficult hour of his trial. According to the state of affairs described, it cannot be assumed that the Czechoslovak people in America would have understood the declaration of war against Serbia and Russia as a call for the fight against Austria-Hungary and its independence. The writer J.R.Pšenka mentions in his memories of the first days of war that already on the 27th. At the advisory meeting of certain senior Chicage workers, it was J.V. Nigrin who pointed out that "the war would lead to defeat or much-lightly to the crushing of Austria-Hungary" and that "for this case the foreign Czechs should be prepared". But "this statement, which was also regarded as an exaggeration of non-thinking hospitableness, also called for indignation among some of the national workers present," says Pšenka. In the first days of the war fire we--he was still a programme in the confusion of the Austro-Hungarian questions. As a big lack proved since our previous policy in the old home country and great shortcomings showed in particular the relationship of the old homeland to emigration. It begins the appalling moment in the history of the people, and its half-million-soul-counting branch, the only free dol- mech of its longings, stands in all at a perplexed and unprepared way for battle. Poland had long since referred to the Polish question as a problem of European policy, if not world policy, and had also dealt with it on the world forum for decades, we have made the Czechoslovak question an internal question of Austria-Hungary, which we have at the home forum dualistic, i.e.. the Slovak and Czech affairs of each, wanted to resolve, efforts for a radical solution in the good sense of the word there was therefore - 14 -